Air, the Element of Freedom
by criterioncraze
Summary: Korra is left as an airbender after her battle with Amon and must embrace her newfound powers in the element of freedom to both regain what has been lost and better understand her duty to the world. A chronicle of a physical and spiritual journey Korra must take on her own to find her own path as the Avatar. Ongoing hopefully.
1. Prelude

**So, this is another alternate version of the season 1 finale. Sorry I had to reiterate the Aang and Korra meeting again, but I thought it was necessary to place the story within canon and set the tone for the rest of the story. Happy SD Comic Con to all; lots of exciting news today on season 2. I hope that you will enjoy some fanfiction like this while waiting for the series to come back, hopefully better than ever. Of course, I don't own this series. Just saying. **

Korra looked over the edge of the ice-covered cliff. A single tear fell into the abyss below and she began to cry uncontrollably.

_Maybe it is my duty to restart the cycle. There are so many people I care about, so many more things I want to do, but I can't think like that. I have to do what is best for the world. _

She looked over the edge once more, on her hands and knees, her sobs slowly subsiding.

_Well, this isn't the way I wanted to go...but the world needs an avatar. I guess I just wasn't the right one._

_Just…get it done. You already failed the world once. You can't keep on doing that. _

_If only there were another option…_

Suddenly she felt a presence. She peered out of the corner of her right eye to see a man in air nomad clothing.

"Please Tenzin. I need to be alone."

"But you called me here."

Korra stood up in awe, seeing Aang, her past life talk to her directly for the first time.

"You have finally connected to your spiritual self."

"But how?" Korra said almost unbelievingly.

"When we are at our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change. Avatar Korra, you still have a journey ahead. You must look deep within yourself, this time with a greater understanding of what it means to be a bender and the avatar. Even so, you may be closer to the answer than you think."

Korra looked up to him, still surprised by his presence. "Is it really possible?"

Aang smiled at the young avatar, "Yes. I suggest you embrace your newfound abilities in the element of freedom to better see what lies beneath the surface and understand what type of balance the world needs in your era. Unlocking your chakras consciously may help. I think there is one chakra in particular that is applicable to the current struggle of the world."

Aang slowly began to fade.

Korra smiled, a lump in her throat "Thanks, Aang. It was nice meeting you. It won't be the last time, will it?"

Aang smiled reassuringly as he disappeared. "You are never truly alone, even when it seems like you are. "

Korra stood up, her posture straight, her stance firm, as if a new breath of life entered her.

Air, the element of freedom, could enable her to step back and see what she had long ignored as an avatar and a person. Perhaps she could soon see what no one else had noticed either, being inhibited by numerous invisible forces.

_I'm no longer alone._

_But I never really was alone, was I? _

She looked out on the ocean, the whole world literally in front of her at the bottom of the earth.

**Thanks for reading! I plan to make this a continuing story. Please let me know what you think! **


	2. Approval

Mako emerged from the icy tundra to find Korra standing at the edge of a cliff, looking as if she was considering jumping from it. His heart skipped a beat as he prepared to run over there, but something stopped him. He saw her eyes glowing.

_The avatar state,_ he thought to himself in awe. _Has she unlocked it?_

He stood watching her, partially concealing himself with a block of ice. He was afraid he might disturb this process if he came any closer. He knew something important was happening, but as to what it was he was unsure.

The glow left Korra's eyes and she turned around, startling the young man so entranced by the almost supernatural happening before his eyes.

"Mako, were you there the whole time?" said Korra, still breathless from her conversation with Aang.

"Uhh, no, I guess. Just for the glowing part….about that…what does it all…mean?" he said as he looked down at her with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Korra laughed lightly and grinned, "I guess that was a new thing for you too. It means I have a chance at getting my bending back now, but I need to figure out how to do my job better first."

Mako's shoulders relaxed, "That is definitely a start."

There was a short silence between the two as they remembered Mako's confession of love just before Korra ran off. Neither felt it was the right time to bring it up.

"Hey, how about we head back?" said Korra, beckoning Mako playfully as she walked back in the direction of the compound, Mako behind her. "There is something I have to tell everyone." Korra looked away from Mako, deep in thought. _I'm probably going to have to go against some of their wishes. _

Mako smirked, glad to oblige her request, though a little apprehensive. _It's a lot better than seeing you on the edge of that cliff. _

The whole group gathered around, consisting of Tenzin and his family, Katara, Lin, Korra's parents, Asami, Bolin and Mako.

_The approval committee, huh? I don't exactly want to go running away like last time. I need their support._

"So Korra, what is it you wanted to tell us?

Korra looked around the table where everyone was seated and cleared her throat. "I finally talked to Aang; he said there is hope for me to regain my bending, but I have to learn more about the 7 chakras. He said it could be a long journey, but I may be closer to understanding than I think."

Tenzin began, "Korra, this seems like great news. You probably need to see a guru, a spiritual master who has already reached the point of enlightenment."

"Do you know of any?" Korra asked hopefully.

"Well, I know of one. Guru Sharma tends to move around a lot. The last I heard he lives in the middle of Yu Dao in an obscure location. I think I can get you there though, taking Oogi and then we can ask around."

"We can help you look! I've always kind of wanted to see Yu Dao!" added Bolin.

"We are here for you Korra." said Asami reassuringly.

"Thanks you all so much….but that is exactly the point. I need you all here, or more so, in Republic City when I get back. Aang told me I needed to take a journey to find my place in the world both as myself and as the avatar, and I think the only way to do that is by myself."

Tenzin heated up, "Korra, you are in no position to be off fending for yourself; you just lost most of your bending and the public has been made aware of this. You are a prime target right now. The Equalists have been weakened, but they are not gone quite yet—"

Korra interjected calmly, but with conviction, "For almost as long as I can remember, I have been the Avatar. I have never just been a normal human being who thought they could only bend one element, that didn't have a huge duty to fulfill to the world. I have never seen the world through the eyes of someone other than the avatar. And I think that is the problem. I don't understand who I am as a person right now. Even worse, I don't understand this world; I have still barely been exposed to it, but yet there is so much that I need to learn in order to do anything for it. And the only way to do that is to be a part of it, to take a journey through it as a human and as an avatar."

Silence ensued. Everyone seemed unsure of how to answer such an argument. They all knew Korra was correct. As the Avatar, she needed to learn how to fulfill her duty to the world. But as Korra, the girl they all cared for, would she be all right?

"Korra…none of us want to see you get hurt. Not as just as the avatar, but also as yourself." said Mako finally.

A coy smirk flitted across Korra's face. "Well, bending or not, I am still the avatar. I think I can take care of myself. I have learned so much by being with you all and I have finally connected with Aang, and maybe even the other past avatars. I won't really be alone. I just need to take myself away from everything that previously defined me as the avatar, for I think that is part of what got us into this mess in the first place. I need some of the freedom I have long been missing to discover what it really means to bring balance to the world. No one else can find it for me."

The group took another pause.

"You know," Bolin began slowly, gaining his footing as he spoke to the large group. "This is Korra we are talking about; she's one of the toughest and smartest girls I know. I am going to trust her. No offense, but it takes a lot for her to admit her mistakes sometimes; the fact that she was so willing to do so just now kinda proves to me that Korra is committed to this idea and will see it through."

Senna looked up, nodding. "My little girl has always been so strong, but she has always known that. Maybe it is time that she proves it without the powers that have long defined her."

"Maybe loosing your bending will teach you some restraint. You could still do plenty of damage without it, knowing you." said Lin half-sarcastically, but with a tinge of approval.

"And don't forget, she can still airbend! It is the ultimate defensive element!" chimed in Ikki. "Those equalist chi blockers wouldn't even be able to touch her!"

Mako and Tenzin still looked troubled, but then Tenzin began, "Korra…if you believe this is a journey you must take, I will do everything I can to help you prepare for your journey. Actually," he looked around the room at the approving faces surrounding him, "I think all of us would. This is the path you have chosen as the avatar, and it will likely use all of your inner strength to stay on this path. Even so, I think you will gain what you have been missing if you can persevere, and perhaps, even what the world has been missing."

Korra's face lit up as Tenzin said these words. The heavy atmosphere had lifted. Asami looked at Korra and smiled. Rohan giggled lightly in his mother's arms. The corners of Lin's mouth even lifted up slightly. Mako still looked uncomfortable, but he had lighted his stance and loosened the arms long folded across his chest. Korra caught his glance. He had a vulnerable look in his eyes as he returned her gaze.

He looked away as Tenzin began to speak again. "Korra, when do you plan on leaving?"

Korra looked back to Tenzin and chuckled awkwardly. "Oh, maybe the day after tomorrow? I need to get moving on this, don't I?"

The room suddenly felt heavier once more.

"Uh, Korra, isn't that a bit soon? You need to prepare, right?" said Bolin worriedly.

"Well—" began Korra, but she was soon interrupted by Tenzin.

"Prepare for 7 days before leaving. I want to teach you some more airbending techniques that can help you protect yourself. I also need to organize a way to get you to Yu Dao safely and inconspicuously. Your image is known to some degree, but I think you will only need to be in a slight disguise if you detach yourself from Naga and the group of people who usually surround you."

"I can use my sources with the police to see if I can get a more specific location for the guru." added Lin.

"And I can teach her some hand-to-hand combat. If she airbends in public, it would be too conspicuous. This way she can protect herself while maintaining her cover." said Asami.

Korra smiled. "Thank you all so much. I won't let you down!"

It had taken some convincing, but now everyone approved of the journey and was willing to help. Korra thought to herself, _I want to say that I am going to completely kick butt on this journey and regain my bending in no time, but that probably won't happen. I guess I really will need that patience Tenzin keeps talking about. Well, we will see, won't we? _

Hope you liked it! Sorry if the posting is irregular, but I am taking a summer class and am trying to balance my time well so that I can do well in that class.

One note is that I decided to change a bit of the first chapter to fit an overarching idea I hoped to convey; I think that there is one chakra in particular that is important to Korra's story, so I wanted to allude to that better at the beginning of the story.


End file.
